Speaking haltingly from a bullet she took to the brain, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords urged Congress on Wednesday to act to curb gun violence, saying “too many children are dying.” “The time is now. You must act. Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you,” said the former congresswoman, who was severely wounded in a January 2011 mass shooting in Tucson. She was addressing the Senate Judiciary Committee at Congress’ first gun control hearing since the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., in December. Within hours of Giffords’ testimony, a shooting was reported in Phoenix, the capital of her home state, with three people reported wounded at an office complex and a gunman on the loose. Meanwhile, National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre told the Senate Judiciary Committee that assault weapons and high-capacity magazines should not be banned, and he said his organization no longer supports universal background checks because criminals don’t submit to them.

Israel fired a missile overnight at a truck convoy from Syria believed to be transporting weapons to Lebanon, U.S. and regional officials said Wednesday. They said the shipment, believed to be bound for the Islamist militant group Hezbollah, included sophisticated, Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles that could be “game-changing” in the hands of Hezbollah. Israel fears that if the regime of President Bashar Assad grows desperate, it could transport chemical weapons to Hezbollah or other militant groups. U.S. officials say they are tracking Syria’s chemical arsenal and it appears to be under the government’s firm control. As for the SA-17s, officials said they could change the balance of power in the region by seriously hindering Israel’s ability to fly over Lebanon.

Seven weeks after North Korea successfully launched a satellite into orbit, South Korea did the same thing Wednesday on its third attempt. “Five hundred forty seconds after the launch, Naro successfully separated the satellite,” South Korean Science and Technology Minister Lee Joo-ho said, referring to Satellite Launch Vehicle-1, also known as Naro, which blasted off at 4 p.m. from Jeolla province. “After analyzing various data, we have confirmed that the satellite has been successfully put into orbit,” he said. The launch makes South Korea the 13th country to launch a satellite from its own territory. Previous attempts to launch a space vehicle in 2009 and 2010 both failed. The country’s archrival, North Korea, reported the successful launch of a satellite Dec. 12.

French forces faced no resistance Wednesday as they entered Kidal, the last major city that had been held by Islamists. But the French also vowed to withdraw quickly, raising questions about whether the Malian government could hold the recaptured territory when Islamic militants launch new attacks. The al-Qaida-linked militants, who took over a string of northern cities 10 months ago, have not put up a fight as French and Malian troops recaptured Douentza, Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal. But the fact that they are not fighting means they are not dying and instead are melting into the bush, where they can regroup to fight another day. “Nobody questions France’s rapid deployment but the ability to hold on to the cities and territory is an immense challenge. It is not clear how they will be able to sustain the recent gains,” said Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at Chatham House. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the newspaper Le Parisien: “Now it’s up to African countries to take over. We decided to put the means — in men and supplies — to make the mission succeed and hit hard. But the French aspect was never expected to be maintained. We will leave quickly.”

Note to stoners: Before you call police about the guys who stole your paraphernalia, hide your other paraphernalia. Residents of a house in Lincoln, Neb., called police Saturday after two people, one of them armed, forced their way into the house and stole two hookah pipes. Police responding to the scene couldn’t help noticing marijuana, paraphernalia, fertilizer and a padlocked door with light behind it and a power cord leading into it. Police obtained a warrant and found three marijuana plants and grow lights. They busted a 19-year-old resident for manufacturing marijuana and cited his roommates for paraphernalia.

The Wire, a summary of top national and world news stories from the Associated Press and other wire services, moves weekdays. Contact Karl Kahler at 408-920-5023; follow him at twitter.com/karl_kahler.

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